Master of Public Health
Developing leaders for social change to improve health and wellbeing outcomes in India.
Growing Public Health Concerns in India
Over the last decade, India has experienced tremendous economic growth and improved health outcomes. The reductions in the Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Rate, improvement in Life Expectancy, and becoming Polio-free are some of the significant achievements in the public health for the country.
Despite these successful outcomes, India still faces several public health challenges, including persistent malnutrition, health risks due to environmental degradation and climate change, and non-communicable diseases, including mental health and emerging infectious diseases.
The COVID-19 pandemic was testimony to sharp inequalities in healthcare based on class, gender, ethnicity and region. To effectively tackle India’s growing public health challenges that address social inequalities in health, there is an urgent need for public health practitioners who are committed to the social purpose of public health in the country.
Who should join us?
At Azim Premji University, join us if you are looking for a programme that aims to provide opportunities for strengthening the public health ecosystem by enabling professionals to develop a grounded understanding of public health in India embedded in a commitment to equity, rights, and social justice values. The combination of theoretical principles and continuous engagement in the field gives opportunities to students to understand the current landscape and emerging challenges in public health.
Why study with us?
The Master of Public Health Programme is designed for medical or non-medical professionals interested in addressing India’s public health concerns. The programme brings together professionals from various disciplines to understand the causes of public health challenges and identify innovative solutions to improve the country’s health outcomes. If your heart is committed to improving the quality of life for communities, this programme offers excellent opportunities towards fulfilling careers.
The programme is an accelerator for early career professionals. The curriculum equips them with current and advanced knowledge and skills to contribute to research, advocacy, policy and programme. The comprehensive programme puts forth multiple perspectives helping professionals develop a sound understanding of the public health ecosystem.
Programme Structure
Good health and well-being is a fundamental right and should be accessible to all communities. Therefore, our curriculum deeply values equity, rights, and justice. What sets us apart is our programme design which is contextual, relevant and helps you understand existing and emerging public health realities and needs.
The core courses are designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of public health perspectives. These offer a historically grounded understanding of public health concerns, interventions (including programmatic and other responses by the state and non-state actors) and their social and ethical implications.
The courses together help to develop students’ competencies in research, communication, advocacy as well as different aspects of programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Applied Epidemiology: Generating quantitative evidence in health
Core
Using epidemiological research methods to generate evidence.
Civil Society Interventions in Health
Core
Students will study and analyse a range of civil society interventions that have sought to address some of the core public health concerns through direct intervention in healthcare.
Disease Profiles and Health Programmes in India
Core
Understanding the programmatic responses by the government to diseases profiling, in the form of the goals, structure, actors and impacts.
Evidence for Public Health
Core
What constitutes evidence in public health? Why and how does evidence matter for public health action?
Health as Social Phenomena
Core
What are the social factors that affect health of individuals and a community?
Health Economics and Financing
Core
Students will learn the theories of health financing, various existing methods of health financing, the evolution of health insurance, and the existing health insurance options and their stakeholders.
Intersectoral Approach to Public Health Actions
Core
This course examines the relevance for intersectoral thinking, evidence and actions to environmental and other factors that impact health including nutrition, water, hygiene, and sanitation.
Programme Planning, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
Core
It is a skill based course that would take students through the processes of how to design, monitor and evaluate public health programs.
Social Research Methods in Health: Generating Qualitative Evidence in Health
Core
Understand the relevance of qualitative evidence for making informed public health actions.
Understanding Health Systems and Policy
Core
This course examines the health policy landscape and applies health systems frameworks to understand real-world public health concerns.
What is Public Health? Perspectives, Ethics, and Values
Core
This course aims at introducing students to understanding and examining public health by interrogating what is ‘public’ and ‘health’.
Electives will be offered in semester III. Electives would largely fall under four areas including deeper understanding of perspectives, skills relating to programme management, evidence generation, advanced courses on public health actions and courses on select specific themes within public health keeping in mind some of the neglected themes including disability.
A combination of courses from the following will be offered for students to choose two courses depending on their interests.
- Perspectives: Enhancing perspectives around gender and health, globalisation and health, medical pluralism, etc.
- Programme management-related: Advanced courses on programme evaluation, programme implementation, and health system governance.
- Evidence in public health: Advanced courses on methods including advanced epidemiology and biostatistics, qualitative methods, participatory methods.
- Public health actions: National/local advocacy, development communication, social accountability.
- Public health themes: Adolescent health; mental health; public health law; disability, technology and health; WASH, work, and health; global health, etc.
The programme includes multiple core field practice components. These include immersive engagement with the community (Semester I, Engagement with health systems and programme (Semester II), Primary Health Interventions (Inter-semester I) and a semester-long internship and field project.
Classroom Practices
The programme teaching approach encourages active and engaged learning. Our faculty will engage you through various tools and practices, making your learning joyful, enriching and insightful. Some of the classroom practices followed include experiential learning through engagement with community and health systems, analysis of case studies, writing and analysis labs, critical reading and writing, active mentoring support, and workshops.
We understand and prioritise field immersions. The programme will provide you with multiple opportunities for immersion in the primary health projects in India to observe, understand challenges, and draw reflections through interactions with community-based practitioners.
The Master of Public Health Programme at Azim Premji University prepares students to have rewarding careers and contribute to making a difference by improving the community’s health. After graduating from the programme, students can work with various government and non-governmental organisations in public health and related sectors.
Programme graduates can pursue career opportunities like Programme Manager, Medical and Health Science Administrator, Epidemiologist, Dietician, Health Educator, Biostatistician etc.